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Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles. For those nights when you’re craving spicy, warming, Chinese inspired noodles, but don’t want to wait for takeout. Crispy caramelized ground chicken in a sweet, spicy, and tangy mushroom sauce atop egg noodles in steaming, spicy broth. These quick vegetable-filled Chinese inspired noodles can be made and ready in just about 30 minutes. Not only are they a touch healthier, but these noodles taste so much better than your average takeout!
Tuesday night just got better with these yummy takeout noodles. Yep, switching things up again this week and swapping out my usual sweet recipes for something a bit more savory. Not typical of me, but I was way too excited to share these Dan Dan inspired noodles with you guys.
First things first. I want to put it out there that I’m very well aware that these noodles are not authentic Chinese. I do know this, and I don’t mean to offend anyone by sharing this recipe. This recipe is just my take on Chinese style Dan Dan noodles. My easier, much, much simpler, “short cut” take. These noodles are saucy, spicy, so very warming, and beyond delicious.
Quick and easy enough for a weeknight, but fun enough for a Saturday night Halloween movie marathon.
Some background.
If you’re not familiar with Dan Dan noodles, they are spicy Chinese noodles with a dark sauce that usually contains preserved vegetables, chili oil, minced pork (I’m using chicken), and green onions. From everything I’ve read, the meat is caramelized and made crispy, then served over noodles. You can serve the noodles either dry or in a spicy broth…
I went for the spicy broth, because it’s been snowing here and it’s cold. So spicy broth wins. Always.
Here are all the details on making these noodles.
As I said, these are not authentic Dan Dan noodles. I took some short-cuts to make the noodles weeknight-friendly, but still delicious.
Start with the chili. You can buy this of course, but I’ve yet to find a great chili oil I love. Plus it’s so easy to make. Simply simmer sesame oil with garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant. This takes only five minutes. Simple.
While that’s happening, make the sauce. It’s s a simple mix of hoisin sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and peanut butter or tahini. Hoisin is not traditional, but it adds so much flavor without having to add a million and one ingredients to the sauce.
Side Note: I’ve yet to find a great hoisin sauce that doesn’t contain tons of sugar…so I began making my own. If this interests you, the quick sauce mix-up is in the recipe notes!
Next, boil the egg noodles. You can really use any kind of noodle, but a good egg noodle is probably best. If you are gluten-free, use your favorite rice noodles. Those will be great too!
Drain the noodles, then add the broth and some of the sauce mix to that same pot. This is your “spicy broth” to mix the noodles with. Keep this on low while you brown the chicken.
The final step is to brown the chicken in a skillet with the remaining sauce and mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms, as they add not only a vegetable, but also flavor. You don’t even realize they’re there, but they add SO MUCH. Trust me.
Once the sauce coats the chicken, let the chicken get a little crisp in the skillet and begin to caramelize around the edges.
To assemble, ladle the spicy broth into bowls, add the noodles, and toss with the broth. Then top with that crispy caramelized meat, spoon over additional chili sauce, and add fresh green onions.
Find a spoon, find chopsticks. ENJOY.
A couple notes…
Be sure to serve the noodles as soon as you toss them with the broth. The broth is minimal and really thickens up once you toss it with the noodles.
If you want to make these noodles vegetarian, just double the mushrooms. I haven’t tested that, but I’m sure it would be so delicious.
And that is it…simple, quick, and easy. The ultimate cold-weather Chinese style noodles. Not really a soup, more like extra saucy noodles. AND SO GOOD!
If you make these better than takeout Dan Dan noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles.
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 550 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (make sure to use GF, if needed)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter or tahini
- 8 ounces Chinese style egg noodles, or rice noodles
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork
- 2 cups mixed mushrooms, chopped
- black pepper
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the chili oil. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 1/3 cup sesame oil, the garlic, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very carefully transfer the oil to a heat proof bowl or glass jar. 2. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, vinegar, peanut butter/tahini, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl. 3. Cook the egg/rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. To the pot used to cook the noodles, add the broth and 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stir in the spinach. Keep warm. 4. Place the skillet used to make the chili oil, over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the chicken. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and shallot, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the chicken and the meat begins to caramelize and get crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons chili oil. Remove from the heat. 5. Ladle the broth into bowls. Add the noodles and toss combine. Spoon the meat over the noodles. Top with green onions and additional chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Hoisin: in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
This post was originally published on October 22, 2019
Holy smokes this is one of the best recipes we’ve made. We like heat so also added chili oil after tasting it. So delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Sara,
I am so so glad that you liked the recipe, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
This was fantastic and super simple. I substituted ground venison for the chicken/pork and it worked beautifully. I put a squeeze of lime over the top for a touch of brightness. Will make again!
Hey Brianna,
Thanks for making the recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Good Morning,
Made this with Tahini and it was divine. Thank you.
XOXO
Hey Simi,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have the best week. xTieghan
Decided to do without the chicken and swapped plain cooked brown lentils to fry with the mushrooms and shallot instead—definitely didn’t have the same texture as ground chicken, but so yummy all the same! Maybe would try French puy lentils next time since they hold their shape better and crisp them in the oil first. Highly recommend the lentils route for anyone looking for a vegetarian sub to the chicken!
Hey Olivia,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have the best week. xTieghan
Found this on pinterest and tried the recipe exactly as it’s written.
In one word: amazing.
Word of advice for those cooking for families: this will probably serve 4 just fine, but any more than that and you might have to double the recipe.
Thank you HalfBakedHarvest!
Hey Taryn,
I am so glad that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xTieghan
These were really good. Just had leftovers and the broth was even better the next day.
Hey Hill,
I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan
Want to make this but I do not have any chicken or pork. Can you use ground beef? Would you sub beef stock for chicken?
Hey Courtney,
I think beef would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing!! Despite having several different components, this recipe was easy to follow and came together relatively quickly. The flavors of the broth and the sauce were so delicious! I can’t wait to make this again!
Hey Nicole,
Thank you so much for making the recipe. I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was delicious! Only mistake is that I read the instructions too fast and let the noodles sit too long in the broth and it all got absorbed! Still delicious! My son hates mushrooms so I substituted red and yellow bell peppers and it was still perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Sheryl,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This was so good and such a hit with my family that I’ve made this 3 times in the last week and a half. I love that it is quick especially for a weeknight. The only changes I made was to add a full pound of ground meat instead of a half pound and add more spinach. It still turned out perfect. Definitely better than take out! It is definitely a family favorite going forward.
Hey Kim,
I am so glad your family enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was AMAZING! Huge hit with even my picky no mushroom eaters. We love all of your recipes, but this may be a new fave! Thanks for making me look like I know how to cook 🙂 xo
Hey Vanessa,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
We are obsessed with this recipe. Once I made it, we started talking about when it would be reasonable to make it again! I’m making it for dinner tonight, its truly a fantastic recipe
Hey Johana,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
so delicious!
Thanks so much Sarah!! xTieghan
We made this tonight because we just bought a new chili crisp oil that we wanted to try out. The recipe turned out so, so well! We skipped the oil step since we had our own and we also held off adding the oil until the end to our individual bowls as opposed to the 4-5 Tbsp to the meat. We finished the bowls off with some chopped peanuts too! It was so satisfying and will definitely be in the regular rotation.
Hey Caley,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe was great, the flavors are fantastic! The one question I had was a n regards to carmelizing the meat – mine still had quite a lot of liquid in it even before adding the soy sauce mixture. Should we drain the meat/mushrooms to remove liquid?
Hi there! I would drain the liquid if you don’t want it to be to liquid-y, but if you want the flavor of the liquid I would leave it! Enjoy 🙂 xTieghan
This was AMAAAAZING! i like my dan dan noodles a bit peanuttier (ha, is that a word) so i doubled the peanut butter, and also added peanuts at the end. but holy heck, will be making this again.
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan